Priority Status of Security Patches to RASP-Secured Applications

Abstract

Prioritizing software updates in the context of runtime application self-protection (RASP) security. A software update is received for an application software that is running under the control of RASP security, which monitors the application software and works to prohibit one or more runtime operations of the application software. The software update is analyzed to determine whether any runtime operations of the application software that will be affected by the software update are any of the runtime operations prohibited by the RASP security. If the software update affects only runtime operation(s) of the application software that is prohibited, then the priority status of the software update can be downgraded.

1 . A method of determining the priority status of a software update for an application software, the method comprising:
 running an application software under the control of a runtime execution controller, wherein the runtime execution controller analyzes and controls the runtime operation of the application software, and wherein the runtime execution controller prohibits one or more runtime operations of the application software;   receiving a software update of the application software, wherein the software update is designated to have a pre-determined priority status;   analyzing the software update to determine whether any runtime operations of the application software that will be affected by the software update are any of the runtime operations prohibited by the runtime execution controller; and   based on the results of the analysis, assessing the priority status of the software update.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein in the step of assessing the priority status, if the software update affects only those one or more runtime operations of the application software that are prohibited by the runtime execution controller, then downgrading the priority status of the software update. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , the method further comprising scheduling the software update according to the downgraded priority status. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , the method further comprising deploying the software update according to the downgraded priority status. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the runtime execution controller is a runtime application self-protection (RASP) security. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein in the step of assessing the priority status, if the software update affects only those one or more runtime operations of the application software that are prohibited by the RASP security, then downgrading the priority status of the software update. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , the method further comprising scheduling the software update according to the downgraded priority status, deploying the software update according to the downgraded priority status, or both. 
     
     
         8 . A software product that implements on a computer system, a computer-implemented method for determining the priority status of a software update for an application software that is under the control of a runtime execution controller, wherein the runtime execution controller prohibits one or more runtime operations of the application software, the computer-implemented method comprising the steps of:
 receiving a software update of the application software, wherein the software update is designated to have a pre-determined priority status;   analyzing the software update to determine whether any runtime operations of the application software that will be affected by the software update are any of the runtime operations prohibited by the runtime execution controller; and   if the software update affects only those one or more runtime operations of the application software that are prohibited by the runtime execution controller, then downgrading the priority status of the software update.   
     
     
         9 . The software product of  claim 8 , wherein in the step of assessing the priority status, if the software update affects only those one or more runtime operations of the application software that are prohibited by the runtime execution controller, then downgrading the priority status of the software update. 
     
     
         10 . The software product of  claim 9 , the computer-implemented method further comprising scheduling the software update according to the downgraded priority status, deploying the software update according to the downgraded priority status, or both. 
     
     
         11 . The software product of  claim 8 , wherein the runtime execution controller is a runtime application self-protection (RASP) security. 
     
     
         12 . The software product of  claim 11 , wherein in the step of assessing the priority status, if the software update affects only those one or more runtime operations of the application software that are prohibited by the RASP security, then downgrading the priority status of the software update. 
     
     
         13 . The software product of  claim 12 , the computer-implemented method further comprising scheduling the software update according to the downgraded priority status, deploying the software update according to the downgraded priority status, or both. 
     
     
         14 . A software product that implements on a computer system, a computer-implemented method comprising the steps of:
 continuously monitoring the runtime execution of an application software that is running on the computer system;   during the runtime execution of the application software, blocking a runtime operation of the application software according to a predetermined set of one or more runtime operations of the application software that are deemed to be prohibited;   receiving an update of the application software, wherein the software update is designated to have a pre-determined priority status;   analyzing the software update to determine whether any runtime operations of the application software that will be affected by the software update are any of the runtime operations that are prohibited; and   if the software update affects only those one or more runtime operations of the application software that are prohibited, then downgrading the priority status of the software update.   
     
     
         15 . The software product of  claim 14 , the computer-implemented method further comprising scheduling the software update according to the downgraded priority status. 
     
     
         16 . The software product of  claim 15 , the computer-implemented method further comprising deploying the software update according to the downgraded priority status. 
     
     
         17 . The software product of  claim 14 , wherein the application software is secured by runtime application self-protection (RASP) security. 
     
     
         18 . The software product of  claim 17 , wherein in the step of assessing the priority status, if the software update affects only those one or more runtime operations of the application software that are prohibited by the RASP security, then downgrading the priority status of the software update. 
     
     
         19 . The software product of  claim 18 , the computer-implemented method further comprising scheduling the software update according to the downgraded priority status, deploying the software update according to the downgraded priority status, or both.